Comcast on Wednesday updated its iPad app to allow customers to stream on-demand TV shows and movies to the Apple tablet.
Comcast subscribers with an iPad and the Comcast app can now access about 3,000 hours of content from Comcast's on-demand network at no extra charge. That includes movies and TV shows from HBO, Showtime, Starz, Encore, Cinemax and MoviePlex as well as TV shows from TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and BBC America. Selections include "True Blood," "Dexter" and "Boardwalk Empire," as well as movies like "The Hangover," "An Education," and "The Blind Side," Comcast said.
The feature is available over Wi-Fi, with a 3G option coming in a future app update, Comcast said.
"Our focus for this first version of video streaming was to take advantage of the larger screen and mobile capability of the iPad, and deliver an immersive video experience," Matt Strauss, senior vice president and general manager of Comcast Interactive Media, wrote in a blog post. "We have many enhancements and feature updates planned for the coming months, and we'll also continue to evolve the video streaming feature based on customer feedback, including extending it to more handheld devices and platforms."
Later this year, Comcast plans to bring live TV streaming to tablets. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts made an appearance at the Samsung keynote during this year's CES to announce that Comcast content – including live TV – will be available on the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung Smart TVs by year's end.
On Tuesday, Comcast and Time Warner Inc. announced an expanded "TV Everywhere" content deal that will allow Comcast customers to watch more Turner Broadcasting TV shows on the Web.